Hippo Tang

[Subskipper]

Anyone experience problems with keeping Hippo Tangs? I ask because I have had two "disappear" over the last few weeks never to return, I assumed the ALK and CAL problem I was having caused their demise, but now that my water chem is good, I was thinking of trying again.

Suggestions? Thanks as always!

Bernard

 

[marrone]

Hippo's wouldn't be effected by either unless your Ph was very low, below 8.0. What size are you buying them as small hippo's don't have good surival rate. Try not to buy the very small ones, sizes about a nickel, and try and buy the large sizes, 2"-4", as they're much more hardier. Hippo's are very prone to ich so you need to quartine them before placing them into your tank. You also need to give the Hippo plenty of hiding spaces as they like to hide in rock and will wedge themselves in between them.

 

[House of Laughter]

Skipper,

Agreeable with Marrone - Hippo's are Ich magnets - I too, tried 2 smaller hippo tangs - both got ich and both died - I tried a third, and on my way home from Absolutley fish in NJ, totalled my car in the snow on the saw mill river parkway - the fish and bag went flying, didn't puncture, but survived the crash - I sat outside in the snow for nearly 2 hours with the bag and fish under my coat - afterwards went to a bar for about 2 hours as my wife was out of town - so the fish sat in the bag for about 5 hours total and the saying was born - a "A guy and a fish walks into a bar . . . ."

I got home, acclimated the fish and sure enough it got ich, mind you I treated first.

After a few battles with ich and killing a few clams with Greenex, the damn thing lived and is now around 4 inches long and healthy as ever. Plump, happy and very colorful - I treat the food once a week with Garlic extract, have a UV sterilizer and use good food and Nori as a suppliment for vitamin C.

Is working for me.

House

 

[Subskipper]

House,

I thought that a UV filter on a reef tank was a bad choice? That fish of yours has been through hell, it better live through all that.

Marrone,

My PH has always been around 7.8, my alk and calcium are perfect, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and phosphate are ideal. The water I use just comes out at 7.8 and nothing I have done helps.

The hippos are about 1.5 inches long, very healthy looking so far and very active in the tank. They are not hiding as much as the previous hippos, they are free swimming (together all the time).

I will try to add the garlic extract to the food, I wonder how often that should be done, I can't imagine at every meal?

Thanks for all your advice!

Bernard

 

[marrone]

Your're ph is to low, and even lower for a reef tank. You need to get your Ph to atleast 8.0 for a fish tank. With a Ph of 7.8 the fish will be stress but ok for a while. But a small fish like that will not make it in the longer run.

check out theses web site for help:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

Hippo's that size have a very low surival rate to begin with and with a low Ph it just makes it even lower. Get your Ph correct and if you want a Hippo tang get one that is larger, about 3"-4", and you'll have a better chance.

 

[marrone]

As for adding Garlic Formular I & II have been adding it now to their foods.

 

[House of Laughter]

Skip,

generally speaking, yes it is not the best thing to do to have a UV on your reef tank - now that all are healthy and the sterilizer is off, my pod population etc are back to normal.

Also, when I frist started with the treatment, I did the garlic thing every night, very little water, food and a full dropper of extract, shaken well. I let it soak for about an hour.

Worked for me.

House

 

[Subskipper]

Hippo Part 2

My wife found one of the hippo tangs in the overflow box (not in the downspout part, but actually in first stage fill area.

Rescued.

If this turns out like House's snow crash story I am going to be pissed (well, that is unless the fish survives for a long time).

Bernard

 

[Rebels23]

Hey Bernard,

I had problems keeping hippos in the beginning also, and actually lost two. They all were ich magnets too. What seemed to work for me was when I first introduced them, I ran a UV sterilizer. It didn't completely stop the ich, but it controlled it a bit. But the best thing was adding a buddy for him. After doing so he calmed down alot more. I added a yellow tang and they became the best of buddies, going where ever each one went. It seemed to reduce his stress level tremendously.

HTH

 

[DRZL]

I have a hippo that is now 3 1/2 in but when i first got her she was about an inch or less! She did get ich and what i did since there were no corals(new tank),was have the light off for about 5 days( as for the HH hey theres big storm systems in the tropics Shhh happens) i did this due to the fact that since she had ich and it was now in my water, even if she would get better she would get reinfected. But A thing about iich parasites is that they rise toward the light. no light and they stay towards the sandbed and die. during this time i also fed her loads of NORI as she was too shy to eat freeze dried. She got well but was still too shy, and even though this might seem corny i added a clown. (yea i kno nemo & dory blah blah). it was a friend's ONYX clown that was gettin his arse given to him by a fridmani psuedochromis so i took him and now they are inseperable. Its just like the movie. I think they even have a thing for each other as theyre always rubbing on each other. I wish they could breed i wouldnt mind having a blue clown. Sorry for the novel guys.

Andres

 

[LiquidBlues]

dunno how your hippos attract this or that
my first little hippo probably around 1 and a half inch when i got her survived for 2 months and is i think 2 inches now... it never had ichs or anything...

the only thing i see sometimes is scratches which i think might be from the rocks as shes flying through the rocks but mines is doing well... i haven't been feeding anything special but flake food..

one special trait that mines have is that she sleeps on my ebo-heater... ever since i got her
at night you'll see her yellow tail on the heater
somehow shes able to keep her balance on it...

and i hope shes a she !! dammit how do you tell what sex they are